


The First Steps

by GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, teacher!Belle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-31
Updated: 2013-01-07
Packaged: 2017-11-23 01:52:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/616756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms/pseuds/GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mr. Gold never bothered with any newcomers to Storybrooke until Belle French came to him first looking for a house. Now, Belle is a teacher at the Elementary school and Mr. Gold owns the house she currently rents. He finds himself become attracted to her but, he knows he shouldn’t be. One night Mr. Gold goes to collect rent but is distracted by a cry for help. He reluctantly searches for the distressed person only to find Belle on the ground with a twisted ankle and a couple of scrapes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> No FTL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I have writing it!
> 
> I don't own OUAT or the characters

Mr. Gold never got close with any of his tenants. Not that anyone would get too friendly with him. He was the most feared person in the town of Storybrooke, aside from the mayor. He lived his days out quietly except for the occasional problems that needed his help. Everybody knew each other in the town and no secrets had ever been kept for long. People rarely moved to the town because there had been almost no business opportunities for anyone to go after. So, when someone new did arrive it was the talk of the town. He heard that a young girl had moved to the town alone and that she was a beauty. He didn’t concern himself with the gossip. The closest he would ever come to meeting her would probably be to just collect the monthly rent as he did own most of the properties in town.

 However, she had made the first move to go to him instead of the other way around.

The first time he met the young woman was when she approached him in his shop inquiring after a place to live. Someone had tipped her off that he owned most of the town’s properties, the mayor no doubt.

 She had approached him as he did his weekly inventory count, a ritual that he preferred not to be interrupted. She went straight up to him and looked at him to try to get his attention.  He wanted to continue to work but he was annoyed already by her presence so he put on a stiff smile and asked what she was looking for.

“I want to rent a house.” She said bluntly without any other introductions.

He stared at the woman in the yellow dress and impractical heels before finally responding to her request. “Yes, well, usually people do not come to me for that. The town realtors would be more than happy to help you find a home, Mrs.-?”

“ _Ms_. French. I understand that but, I am new to the town and I thought that I should just go straight to the man himself. I would like to be able to move in tomorrow so I don’t spend all my money renting a room at Granny’s.” Ah, yes the woman was known to charge a little more so she could make her rent to him even though she despised the man. But, he still didn’t see why she needed his help so he tried his best to get her out of his shop as fast as he could without offending her.

“As much as I would love to help I am a very busy man. I would be more than happy to call the realtor so they could show you around.” After all, it wasn’t his job to sell people on the properties just to collect the rent from unwilling tenants.

Not taking the hint she just stood there and put her hands behind her back. “I can wait for you to finish up. I really have nothing else to do. It won’t take long for you to show me something I like; I am very easy to please.” She smiled at him in just the right way and he felt his stomach flip. He knew he wasn’t going to like this.

“Very well” He grunted “Let me finish this inventory check then I shall assist you in your search. Please, take a seat somewhere.” Without any other word he looked back down at his list before he could be disturbed again.

“Thank you, Mr. Gold.” He herd her shuffle around the shop before sitting on the small chair in the corner but, soon enough she was on her feet again looking at each little trinket. There were a few books on a shelf near the entrance and she looked over each one before she picked one out and sat down on the stool again. The book was thin but, he knew that book was one of the better ones among his collection.

Once Mr. Gold was done she was almost half way through the book and it had taken him two tries to get her out of the world that the book had so successfully sucked her into. She looked up and had a confused look on her face but, she soon remembered her purpose and smiled at him. She folded the corner of the page she left off at without thinking and closed the book.

“Ready to go?” She asked him.

“As ready as I shall ever be.” He replied with reluctance in his voice but, if she had heard it she showed no sign of it.

 She walked right past him to the book shelf, leaving a trail of scent behind that smelled of fresh roses, and placed the book back in its rightful place. He breathed in the scent of her before he could catch himself. He found himself enjoying it a little too much and quickly made his way to the door before he completely forgot what was happening. She followed him out and moved aside so he could lock his pawnshop up for the day. It was only slightly past noon but, no one ever ventured to his shop unless something horrible had happened. He figured he could close up for the rest of the day without anything life threatening occurring.

They walked down the slightly occupied street side by side. Belle showed no fear towards him despite the many rumors she had probably already heard about him. She must not have been in the town for that long or else she would have never approached him in the manner she did.  She continued to smile and looked in the window of every shop they passed by. Storybrooke was by no means a large town but, it did seem to have many shops all squished into one area which they happened to be passing through at that moment. They walked in complete silence; Mr. Gold offered no small talk to pass the time secretly hoping to get this over with as soon as possible. He had asked her what she was looking for but all she told him was that she wanted something that was charming and small. He had the house that he wanted to show her in mind so he walked as fast as he could with his bad leg but, she seemed to keep up even in her ridiculously tall high heels.

The house that Mr. Gold had first picked for her to look at was only about a 10 minute walk from his shop. The house was near the forest and had been unoccupied for many years. The light blue paint on the outer walls had been slightly chipped but as far as he knew the house was otherwise in perfect condition. It was small but had a homey feel to it. He had no doubt that Ms. French would like the home gathering from her cheery personality and the way she dressed that she didn’t care about luxury.

The two of them walked up the gravel driveway to the dark red front door. Mr. Gold got out the key to the house and inserted it into the dead bolt. He let the door swing open allowing for Ms. French to step through the doorway first. She walked slowly into the house as if fearing a monster would come out. She quickly became more comfortable and adventured into the kitchen. She nodded her head in approval and went into the living room and finally glanced into the two bedrooms in the back of the house. The house only took up about one thousand square feet but it would be fine for a single person to live in. The wallpaper was blue with hints of gold every so often in it and the floor was all hardwood. The house had seemed to be made for her and wouldn’t need a lot of furniture to make it her own.

 She seemed to like the house but Mr. Gold made no move to speak first. He waited for her in the living room as she looked over the house again. He occasionally glanced in her direction and examined her movements. She hesitated every once in a while to open a door to a closet or look inside cabinets in the kitchen. However, her gait was fearless and full of grace. She wore a dress that only reached to her mid-thigh which let his eyes wander over the perfect curve of her leg and down to her small ankles. He caught himself looking at her and turned back to the front window only to find himself looking at her again after a short time. After she roamed the house a couple more times and Mr. Gold became determined to stop looking at her did she make her way to his side.

“I like the house. You seem to have deduced what I like after knowing me for so little time.”

Without looking in her direction he responded; “Well, I do have a knack for reading people. The rent is six hundred a month. I must warn you that I do not allow any extensions and I will not hesitate to send you away if your payment is late.” He may have sounded harsh but, he only wanted to make it clear to her that he wasn’t going to be a forgiving landlord.

She didn’t seem shocked or put off by his attitude and instead just spoke as if he said nothing out of the ordinary. “Fair enough, I believe in holding people to their word too. I will rent the house, it is quite lovely. I am glad I came to you first instead of a realtor.”

“Good, well I usually leave the rest of the process to a professional. I will have them draw up a contract for you to sign tomorrow morning and you will be able to move in your things in the afternoon.” She wasn’t lying when she said she was easy to please to his relief and thanked god that he didn’t have to do this any longer than he had to.

“Thank you, Mr. Gold. I won’t take up your time any longer. Shall we?” She gestured towards the door. He nodded and followed after her out.

They walked back into town together, again neither of them offering any conversation. He glanced over at her only brief enough to see she was also looking at him. He was confused at her stare but made no move to ask why. Finally, she started to speak to him half way back to the shop.

“Do you have a child?” He was surprised by both her voice and question but, after trying to think of a way to avoid the question he found no excuse not to answer. “I once had a son. Why do you ask?”

“Well I am going to start a job at the elementary school and I was curious if I would ever meet a smaller version of you.” Her question had not been the weirdest one to ask but it still was very out of the blue. He supposed that she thought she could get on his good side if he did indeed have a son that she taught but, he wouldn’t allow her to think he could be so easily won.

“Are you sure you are not just try to find my weakness, Ms. French?”

“Why would I need that? Should I be afraid of you?” He was surprised by her answer. No one had ever before not been afraid to get on his bad side. Perhaps she would learn soon enough. “Most people in the town are. You must not have heard the rumors about me.”

“Oh, I have but, I would rather form my own opinion of the person rather than take other people’s word for it. A lot of facts can get lost in translation.” She certainly was the first person to not listen to gossip in this town. She had managed to surprise him, something rarely heard of.

He said no more after that, feeling himself starting to actually like the girl at his side. He couldn’t risk getting attached to one of his tenants. He wouldn’t allow his attraction to get in the way of his number one policy when it came to business. So, they walked in silence the rest of the few minutes to the shop.

When it came time to say their farewells to each other neither could bring themselves to say the first goodbye. They awkwardly stared at each other then looked at the ground until Ms. French was the one to finally speak first.

“Thank you, again. I am sure I will be happy in my new living arrangements.”

He smirked knowing he wouldn’t have been able to get out of it. “Well, you didn’t seem to give me much choice in the matter. You would probably still be in my shop if I had said no.”

She giggled and the sound made his stomach do a small flip again. What was this woman doing to him?

“Yes, unfortunately I can be very stubborn. But, I enjoyed our short time together. I guess I will see you next month when you come to collect rent. Have a good day, Mr. Gold.”

She started to walk away as he returned her farewell. She glanced back at him, waving a hand in goodbye at him. In the hour that they had been together he had found himself experiencing weird emotions because of the young school teacher.

At that moment Mr. Gold decided that he must avoid her as much as possible, only going to her when the rent was due.

For the most part he had been successful, only running into her on his way home from work more times than not. He had forgotten that the house he had rented to her also happened to be the same way he went to go home. He knew she had wanted to ask many things about him just by the look in her eyes. But, the last thing he wanted was for someone to pry into his personal life.

It had been his every intention to keep himself closed off to her but; after talking to her a few times she somehow started to wiggle her way into topics of conversation that he tended to avoid. She kept the conversation light most of the time. She favored talking about the books she had read and asking what he did in his free time. But, sometimes she would start to ask after the son he had mentioned before and that was his signal to steer the conversation in another direction. No matter how much he had started to favor the girl’s company he would not talk about the one wound that still tended to bleed every once and a while. Being the smart girl she was, she learned to avoid the topic and instead went back to the small talk that she so favored.

He learned over time that she had loved many of the classics that he liked including _The Crucible._ He found out many other things about her, one of his favorite being that she was quite intelligent and she never missed a detail. She had one of the greatest personalities he had ever encountered which made him worry.

He worried that his feelings for her had started to grow. He looked forward to their encounters on his way home and the days where she wasn’t there his head made up conversations between him and Belle. Every now and then he would get home after one of their short conversations and tell himself that he was being stupid and not to see her again. But, the next day came and she appeared in her usual dresses and his brick wall was immediately knocked down. She had an odd way of getting into his head and he found himself enjoying her more than he ever had anyone before.

Six months passed by that way and by that time Mr. Gold had actually started to like her and he believed that she also liked him back. As a friend, of course, he reminded himself of that every day but he couldn’t help but imagine her smile or giggle whenever he was alone in the shop. He wished most of the time that she would walk through the door and read the small book on the shelf like she did the first time they met. Other times he wished he had never met her and that he wouldn’t feel this way about another person. For a long time he had dedicated his life to finding his son again and knew that any thoughts about other people would just be a waste of his time. But, Belle was very unique and he couldn’t help but be drawn to that.

There had also been another problem with him liking her. He was a bad man and he knew it. Why should a girl so young and innocent ever even take a second look at him? He may have been attractive once when he was younger but he was starting to grow older. She was the exact opposite of everything he was and that is what made her untouchable to him.

These thoughts ran through his mind every time he saw her but, that didn’t stop him from enjoying her company and the warm feeling that radiated off of her pale skin.

Every third Saturday of each month was the day he collected rent from her and each time he would make sure to look his best. He made an extra effort to make sure his tie and shirt matched and that there were no loose threads on his suit. Belle had always greeted him at the door with a wide smile and a pot of tea ready to be served. She usually baked some cookies or scones for them to eat while they continued the conversation where it had left off at the last time they had encountered each other. Mr. Gold had started to get into the habit of reading again so he could offer more to the conversation. Belle loved to talk about books and it was the most interesting thing to watch her talk about them. Sometimes when they ran out of things to talk about they would just sit in silence looking out the window or play a card game. They always found ways to entertain each other and it had never felt anything less than comfortable.

 Their time together had usually ended when the tea ran out signaling that it was getting late. He hated to leave but didn’t want to take up all her time though he wished that he could. They would usually end their get-together with her fetching the rent money and him waiting by the doorway for her to come back. Belle always seemed to hesitate over his hand before giving him the money and lingering a second more before finally pulling her hand away and saying her goodbyes. He never liked the ending to their time together but he always knew the next day he would see her.

When the time came to get the rent came again that month he felt nothing less than excited to see Belle’s beautiful face. She had so far been perfect at getting in the exact rent each time despite her probably low pay check which made it easier for him to feel comfortable that she wasn’t just trying to get a free rent out of him. She must have earned enough money since she also started to work at the town’s library every so often. She had invited him to come and visit her while she worked one day. The offer was very tempting and would have given him an excuse to just look at her but, in the end he had a reputation to uphold and it would look odd if he went to visit one of his tenants without reason. He didn’t tell her no but he didn’t say yes either.

He ventured up the driveway grinning at the red front door only to be stopped in his tracks by a sudden yelling voice. He briefly made out the word “help” and turned in the direction the voice came from. He waited for the voice again and moved closer until he was on the edge of the forest trail. The voice came again and reluctantly he went into the forest to search for the distressed person even though he really just wanted to turn around so he could spend time with Belle.

 The trail was well kept but it tended to go up hill more times than not which he knew was not going to be good for his leg. He walked for what seemed like forever and his leg had started to hurt. He was considering going back when he finally found the person who had been calling out.

He saw her from far away and once he realized who it was he sped up his walk. He found Belle lying on the ground covered in scratches and unable to move.

“Belle, what are you doing out here?”

“Well I was on my way back from a walk when I stepped on a rock wrong and my ankle got twisted. I tried to get up but it was too painful to walk for long. I have been slowly making my way back to the house but I only have gotten this far…”

“How far did you walk exactly? We aren’t anywhere near the entrance to this trail.”

“I get distracted easily so I don’t always pay attention to how far I walk.” He sighed and she just looked up at him in distress. He knelt down, holding back the groan of pain that threatened to escape his mouth. He examined all of her other cuts but, they all turned out to be superficial. He finally got up again and offered his hand to her. She took it with a weak smile and managed to pull herself up on her good foot. She wrapped her arm around his back and started to limp in unison with him.

It took them a while to get back to the house. It had started to turn dark when they walked through the door and Mr. Gold’s knee was hurting like never before. He brought her over to the couch and both of them flopped onto the soft surface. They caught their breath and remained still with only the sound of heavy breathing in the air. They eventually put some distance between each other realizing that their arms had been wrapped around one another for support. Belle looked over to him and as always she made the first move to speak.

“Wow, I don’t think I am ever walking that far again. I am so tired.” She laughed weakly, not having enough strength to laugh like she usually did.

“Yes, and I don’t think I will be helping anyone again anytime soon.” She smirked at his joke but made no other comment.

She started to move around again and when she couldn’t manage to get up without falling back on the couch again she turned to him. “May I use your cane? I would like to go get some water for me and you but, my ankle is still bad.”

He raised an eyebrow but gave up his cane without question. She got up with a lot of her support on the cane and disappeared through the door into the kitchen. He took the opportunity to massage his aching leg feeling minor relief from the circular motions.

She returned to the living room holding out a glass of water to him and an ice pack. She had secured another ice pack to her bad ankle with blue tape and sat down before handing the cane back to Mr. Gold. He drank his water and pressed the ice pack to his knee. He started to relax into the couch and sat quietly while trying to recover.

But, Belle being the woman she was, would not allow the silence to go on for too long. “I am glad that today was the day to collect rent or I may have been in trouble.”

“Today was your lucky day, Belle. I wouldn’t suggest you try another adventure anytime soon. You could have been eaten by something.” He would have been mad at her but, he supposed he had no right to be despite what he might feel towards her.

“It is one of the few things I enjoy besides reading. I love to read but, every once and a while I need fresh air.”

“Perhaps you should find another way to get fresh air.”

“Maybe, I don’t have many friends in this town besides Ruby and I hardly ever speak to my father. I find myself alone most of the time, besides when we talk of course, so I need something that will entertain me without feeling that loneliness.”

“Where did you move from?” Mr. Gold realized that he had never asked about where she came from despite the increasing amount of conversations he had been having with her over the past few months.

“Australia, I loved it there but, I needed a new life after breaking my engagement to a very superficial man. It was a marriage I had basically been forced into. Father and I hardly speak anymore because he doesn’t understand why I don’t love the man.”

“Well love is not something that can be forced after all. I learned that early on just like you.” He felt himself mentally kicking his head. He just opened up the gate to his past, the one thing he had managed to avoid through all of this.

“You have been through something like I have?” He knew Belle was too smart not to catch his mistake. He sighed and knew he could do nothing to take it back so he just spoke without a second thought.

“I was married once before. I had loved my wife but, she found herself having the exact opposite reaction with me. We had a child together but in the end that wasn’t even enough of a reason for her to stay. She ended up running off with another man. I haven’t seen or heard from her since.”

She looked like she had been lost for words, something very rare for her, so he spoke before she had a chance to think of an answer.

“I have gotten over the whole thing but I learned that my love for her could never be enough if she didn’t return the feeling. It was an unhappy marriage and you probably would have never loved him since you don’t seem like the type of girl to ever like a superficial man.”

She smiled and slanted her head into the hand that was resting on the top of the couch “And what type of man do you think is right for me?”

“I don’t think I am the right man to answer that question, dearie.”

“I’m sure you know me better than most people by now but, you are probably right. I guess I will have to figure that one out on my own.” She looked down at her tattered dress and played with the material before finally looking back at him like a shy school girl.

He looked over at her and truly saw for the first time how blue her eyes were. He realized he never made eye contact with her until that moment and for a split second his heart stopped. She really was the most beautiful thing he ever set his eyes on but, also, at the same time, out of his reach.

They sat in silence glancing at each other but then looking away after realizing they were looking at each other. It wasn’t an awkward silence but, it had more of a feeling of young teenagers not knowing who should break the silence. He had thought about kissing her but, he didn’t want to scare her off. He pushed that idea aside and just found himself staring at her small hands wondering what they felt like.

“I should really get going. It is late and I would like to get home before it gets too dark.” He didn’t really want to leave but he knew he needed to go before he acted on his impulses.

Belle got up at the same time as him, still trying to balance on one leg. “Didn’t you walk here? I should really have someone look at my ankle tonight so I can drop you off at your house.”

She must have been trying to torture him with all the invitations she was unknowingly giving him. He smiled in his head and decided to give into her request but, he didn’t want to be rude. “I wouldn’t want to impose on you.”

She waved a hand and in in an insistent tone she said; “If anyone has been imposed on it is you. You saved me so now I must save you the trouble of walking home.”

He exhaled not knowing he had been holding in a breath and followed her out to the car that was parked in the garage located next to the house. Belle was able to put pressure onto her ankle but it still took her a while to reach the car. He would have offered her his cane again if his leg still hadn’t been bothering him.

Once they both were seated in the car Belle turned the ignition and the car roared to life. The car looked pretty old but, it still had a few years of life left inside it. Luckily, it had been her left ankle that she injured or else driving would have been more difficult for her. She hummed along to the quiet radio and smiled as they passed through the town of Storybrooke. No one was on the streets and never before had it felt so deserted like the world wanted to leave them alone for just a second to enjoy each other.

The drive to Mr. Gold’s house took less than 3 minutes and when the time came for him to get out he found himself not wanting to move from the seat.

“Thank you for the ride home. As for your rent, I will come pick it up tomorrow evening. Does that work for you?” He looked at her and she had an almost shocked look on her face when she realized she had forgotten all about the reason why he had come over in the first place.

“Shit. I totally forgot. I had the money set out on the counter but, I didn’t remember to grab it. Let me come to your shop instead. I don’t want to put you through any more trouble.” He started to think about how she would never be a trouble to him but, quickly kicked that idea aside.

“That will work, I close at 6 tomorrow. Any time before then would be perfect.” He exited the car and immediately noticed the loss of her scent. She still smelled the same as the first day that he had met her. It really was the most intoxicating scent ever. It made his mind go to darker places that he never knew were in his mind. He had to box away the ideas or else he would definitely try to have his way with her.

Belle had rolled down the window and leaned over so she could see him better. “See you tomorrow then.” She waved a small goodbye but the smile had left her face slightly. Was she as sad to leave him as he was her? He must have imagined it.

She drove off in the direction of the hospital but, Mr. Gold still remained in front of his house staring at the spot where her car had been.

He knew his feelings were growing stronger for her each time they met and he also realized he couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bells's POV now! yay I love writing from her POV. I can relate to her more and she is just so awesome. Enjoy!
> 
> Is something going to happen in this chapter? *wink wink*

A relationship is the last thing Belle French had ever wanted. At least not with the superficial man they called Gaston. Everybody swooned over him and his “handsome” looks while she sat back and showed nothing but disgust towards him. However, for some reason Gaston wanted her hand in marriage and her father in turn demanded that she marry him.

At first she had accepted her fate because she wanted to help her father who was in debt and Gaston had promised him money in return for her. But, after a month of putting up with every demand, she cracked.

She left her home in Australia and found herself arriving in Storybrooke, Maine where a teaching position had opened up. She was alone and only had about fifteen thousand dollars in her bank account.

She had heard through Regina Mills, the mayor, about the man who owned most of the town’s properties when she met her at the city hall. The woman didn’t look like she was trying to be helpful but, Belle took her advice to seek him out none the less. Originally, she had planned to go to the realtor’s office but, Regina had somehow convinced her going straight to Gold was the better choice.

When she walked through the pawnshop door she didn’t expect the man she looked upon to be quite as handsome as he was. He looked annoyed with her and she understood why Regina had told her to go to him. The mayor liked annoying him as if it was a game between the two. Belle had ignored that fact she was just a pawn in their little game because she was intrigued by the man who stood in front of her. He was the first man that she had ever been slightly interested by, something she couldn’t let go of too soon before she figured out why.

In the end, she had gotten her way and had been shown a house that was agreeable in both appearance and price. The man named Mr. Gold was reserved and quite but he always stated his purpose clearly and she didn’t blame him for that. She had heard the rumors after all but he hardly looked like the monster that people had described him as.

When they had said their goodbyes to each other after looking at the house she couldn’t help but make her way to Granny’s diner and tell her new friend Ruby about her afternoon. She told Ruby how handsome Mr. Gold was and that he may just be misunderstood. Ruby ended up laughing in her face but she didn’t care. She had never liked a man as much as Mr. Gold before and she had no intention of backing down because someone laughed at her affections.

The months that led after that were full of her trying to get his attention by perfectly timing her encounters with Mr. Gold so that she could talk with him and try to get him to open up to her. She felt like a stalker but after some time she felt that he was starting to enjoy her presence more than he had the first time they met.

Or perhaps that was just her growing affections towards him blinding her. She banished the thought without thinking any more on the matter.

Her favorite days had become when Mr. Gold came to collect rent. He seemed to look especially handsome on those days. She also took some efforts in her appearance but in the end was never truly satisfied with the outcome.

When they did get together for their monthly tea and rent collection she tried to drop hints that she liked him but she never really had a clear understanding on the art of seduction. She would have studied up on the subject if the current librarian didn’t look at her so oddly every time she checked out a book that didn’t seem to meet her approval. She was brave but, the glaring eyes of the librarian seemed to shrink her courage to the size of a pea in one glance.

Though Belle thought herself to be brave in every other aspect of her life, trying to get her feelings across to someone had proved to be a difficult task for her. Mr. Gold had not made it any easier for her to express her feelings. Their talks had become increasingly longer over time but, never did she truly connect on a personal level with him. The wall around his heart didn’t allow her to break through. He avoided eye contact with her and never really looked at her. Normally, that would have been off putting to her but instead she found herself trying to get him to see her including her one attempt to scare him. None of her attempts had worked of course; he was not easy to surprise.

She asked Ruby for advice a few rare times since she seemed to be the master at getting a guy’s attention. Ruby however, had been less than helpful always brushing off her questions and trying to explain to Belle that the feelings she thought she felt were only a small crush.

Belle contemplated Ruby’s explanation of her feelings but she concluded that it was not some silly little crush. She was silly for liking a man that she knew wouldn’t be interested in her. He didn’t seem like the type of man to fall for a woman just because she was young and innocent.

No, he was a man who only truly fell for one person at a time and stayed committed until the day he died. At least she had imagined him that way; she didn’t have much to go off of from their brief conversations with each other.

But, none the less she still continued to feel the way she felt. Each time she saw him she always found something new to like about him. His small laughs at her attempts of making a joke or the way he always seemed to need to move his fingers even if he had nothing in his hands. Those were the small things that she noticed about him. The small things about a person were always the traits that she valued the most and were the start to peeling back the layers of a person.

During her days in Storybrooke, her mind would often wander to Mr. Gold and sometimes when she was lucky she would get to see a glimpse of him wandering around town making deals with the locals. Though, that very rarely happened since most of her time was spent at the local elementary school.

She had started her job at the school almost as soon as she had moved into her new house. She had taken the position as a preschool teacher and was more than happy to be surrounded by small children all day. Most of the kids got along with each other but, every now and then two children, a boy and a girl, would get in a fight over who ruled the classroom. Belle found their fights very funny but, to them it was a serious war. The boy was more of a loner and had only one best friend in the class and he adored her to the point that he would only be nice to her. The other little girl however, Mia, didn’t like to interact with the other kids, preferring the sanctuary of the castle she had built for herself. Belle had worried about Mia at first but, she quickly learned that the little girl was the happiest when she was by herself.

All the other kids in class would interact with each other, paint and learn the alphabet while Belle sat at her desk watching the kids and every so often let her mind wander off to the imaginary conversations she would have with Mr. Gold.

The days passed her by and she started to grow closer to the man she had so often pictured in her dreams. He seemed to open up more and when she had twisted her ankle that one fateful day she had finally gotten her wish for him to make eye contact with her. When it happened it seemed like time had stopped and she sat there admiring the brown of his eyes and although they were dark they still seemed to have a slight twinkle to them. He didn’t hold her under the spell for long but he had continued to glance up at her and then back down at her hands.

She had wanted at that second to reach out and grab him to pull him in for the kiss she had been longing to give him but, she found herself lacking the courage to break the small friendship that she had so carefully formed.

She had gone to the hospital that night and her ankle had swollen up quite a bit. The doctor didn’t seem too worried and took an x-ray just to be safe. She walked out of there with a bandage tightly wrapped around her ankle and a slight limp.

She recovered after about a week and not once had she seen Mr. Gold besides to drop off the rent money. Their interaction was brief and he had been busy so she didn’t impose herself for too long before walking away. He may have been avoiding her after that but; she hadn’t gone about her usual routine in trying to meet him on his way home from work. She explained that theory to herself over and over again until she was finally convince that must have been the reason why she hadn’t seen him.

She grew more anxious as the days past and longed to have another conversation with him. When she was finally able to walk she had come to a decision.

It had been six month since they met each other and despite her failed attempts she was getting nowhere.

A week before the rent was normally due she mustered the courage to go to his house after he got off work. She collected the rent money up off the counter, her “reason” for going to his house so late, and drove off into the dark.

She wore a black trench coat and took extra care in curling her chocolate brown hair that day. Under the trench coat was something she didn’t usually wear on just any occasion. It was nothing too revealing but it would still draw the eye to the curve of her waist and tease any man who looked at her. It was one of her favorite dresses that she had picked out on a whim a while ago. The dress highlighted every detail in her body and was as red as freshly squeezed blood. If the dress and high pumps she wore did nothing to stir Mr. Gold then she promised herself that she would try to move on.

She was nervous to say the least when she pulled up in front of the brightly lit house. She slowly got out of the car and considered going back home but, she knew she had to fight for his affection if she wanted it.

She walked through the front garden and up the wood steps of the large porch. She knocked on the front door and immediately wanted to run the other direction. She felt like this one the stupidest ideas she had ever come up with but, she was already there and she would look even dumber running away.

She inhaled as deep a breath as her lungs would take in and exhaled as the door swung open to reveal Mr. Gold. She smiled and looked at his surprised face, a first for him since she met him.

“Surprised?” She managed to squeeze out that one word and she thought he would flat out tell her to leave. But, he didn’t, he just stood there as a small smile threatened to spread across his face.

“Belle, you look well. I see your ankle has healed.” She looked down when his gaze had become fixed on her ankle. He looked back up at her and without even asking what she was doing there he gestured for her to come in. She was successful at getting him to let her in to the beautiful house but the next step would be even harder.

She started to shrug off the black coat and he caught it as it slid off her bare arms. She heard him draw in a sharp breath and smiled at the reaction.

“Did you just come from a date? You seem a little overdressed to just come and see me.” She heard the seriousness of the question in his voice, as if the answer would determine his moos for the remainder of the night.

She turned towards him and smiled. She caught the brown eyes of the man that was only inches from her and stared at them in wonder. “No, I just wanted to stop by and um-“She lost her words as her eyes had wandered down to his slightly parted lips. They looked smooth and ready to say anything that would melt her into a puddle.

Before she could stop herself her arms had started to wrap around the man’s neck and drew him towards her for a shy kiss. She felt the world slip away but soon realized what she had done and pulled away abruptly, quickly unwrapping her arms from him in the process. He looked surprised again and she knew that she had screwed up her plan. She had wanted to quietly seduce him before kissing him not throw herself on him as soon as she got there.

She put her hand to her forehead and looked away from him. She managed to mumble “Sorry, I don’t—I don’t know why I did that.” She dared a glance back at him but the next thing she saw was his mouth close to her again and this time he had pulled her in for the kiss.

He was hesitant at first but, once he knew that she had wanted the same he became more aggressive. Their mouths intertwined with each other’s and they lost themselves for a few minutes in the feeling. Mr. Gold’s tongue had tasted of the tea he had been drinking before he got up to answer the door. She loved the taste and found herself wanting more.

They pulled apart for a breath and looked at each other in almost complete amazement. Her lipstick had been smeared all over his mouth but, he didn’t make any move to wipe it off. Their arms were tangled around each other and Belle didn’t know how her hands ended up gripping onto the back of his shirt so tightly. They breathed and continued to stare at each other, neither wanting to break the moment.

He made the first move and brought her into the kitchen where he got down a tea cup and poured her some tea. They both sat at the table now avoiding each other’s stares. She drank the tea and figured out it was chamomile that she had tasted during their kiss. He continued to sip his tea and set the cup down once he had finished.

“Should we discuss that happened in the other room just a few minutes ago?” He asked her hesitantly and she knew that they would have to talk it out but, she didn’t think she would get this far in one night. She hadn’t rehearsed this part of her plan so, she came up with the best thing she could.

“Well, when a woman likes a man she tends to do something’s that may not always make sense but, sounds good in theory. Unless…the man also likes where she was heading?” She made the question easy. Either he would reject her saying he was caught up in the moment or he really did have feelings for her. She didn’t know if she could look at him again if it was the first. However, she braved a look up at him and he seemed to be thinking over what she had said.

“…The man may also have feelings for her but; he never thought she would like him like he did her so he never acted on those feelings, until now of course.” He moved his fingers around the rim of the tea cup and finally met her gaze. She felt herself smiling like she never had before. Before she knew it she was seated on top of him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

“Why wouldn’t the woman like such a wonderful man?” She asked with a grin on her face. He looked up at her “Happy endings are only for the good guys, dearie.” and pulled her head down for another kiss. They sat like that, exchanging kisses, until his legs became tired of bearing her weight.

And on that night they had finally started to clear up some of the emotions that neither one of them thought the other could return.


End file.
